Song Shuffle, Part 4
by mereditholiver
Summary: A few shorts based on songs from the ipod. Enjoy!


DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but the character of Meredith. Here are some more stories based off songs from the trusty ipod.

Unfaithful - Rihanna

He trusted her. That's what made it both so easy and so difficult.

She was going to meet him again. She was preparing herself to go out with the 'girls.' She didn't know when he stopped believing her and wondered why he never confronted her. She was going to walk out the door and run straight into his arms. That was the place she felt the most alive, but she knew this was slowly going to kill her husband. He might forgive her for being unfaithful with Tommy. He, out of everyone in their close-knit group, knew what they had meant to each other. Now that he was single, having divorced Katherine, Kimberly had jumped at the chance to be with him. There was just one road block, her husband, Jason Scott.

Kimberly kissed him on the cheek and left to meet Tommy. She knew Jason had to suspect something, but she forgot all about it when she saw Tommy open his front door.

Jason had noticed the change in his wife over the last few weeks and he knew it something to do with Tommy. His best friend had recently ended his 'mistake' of a marriage to their former teammate, Katherine. Tommy had been starved for companionship, especially after Kimberly had left him that he'd married Katherine. When they realized there wasn't anything there for them, they had divorced. Kimberly had run into Tommy after she and Jason had relocated to Reefside. Kimberly and Jason had gotten together after she approached him about teaching a class at his dojo. Later she was offered a teaching position in Reefside. Jason had decided to open up another dojo in Reefside. Jason hadn't been worried about anything because Tommy was married. After Tommy divorced Katherine, Jason knew it was only a matter of time. It didn't take long for the 'original couple' to hook back up. He didn't know why he hadn't bothered to call her out on her nights out with the 'girls.' He supposed that having her with him as his wife was better than fighting with her. He knew he couldn't ignore it for much longer. The smile on her face was one he hadn't seen in years. Never had he seen it in their marriage. Jason put his clothes in the suitcases on the bed and took the necessary items he would need. He didn't know how they would handle things, but he knew that Kimberly should, no HAD, to be with Tommy. It wasn't fair for any of them.

He wrote her a note and said he wouldn't fight her on the divorce. He hoped she and Tommy would get married and have the family she deserved. He was just sorry he had to be in the way. He didn't know where he was going to go, but decided to call Meredith. He didn't want her to be put in the middle, but since she and Rocky had the extra space, he figured he could stay there until he figured out where to go. He left his house keys with the note on the dining room table.

He loaded his stuff into his truck and shut the front door. He pulled out of the driveway and headed toward Meredith's. She may be Tommy's twin sister, but she was also Jason's best friend. She and Rocky would help him; give him the space he needed.

When he pulled into Meredith's driveway, he felt free. Even though he'd loved Kimberly, he couldn't stand in the way of her happiness. He had set her free without her realizing what it cost him. He'd survive, but it would take time.

How Far We've Come - Matchbox 20

The first morning he awoke without his powers didn't feel any different than the thousands of mornings he'd awaken with the powers. It wasn't until he felt his wrist and didn't feel the familiar communicator he knew things had changed. He opened his bedside table and saw his communicator sitting there, able to contact the others in an emergency, but his morpher wasn't in the drawer. That's when it hit home that he was a ranger no longer.

He got out of bed and got ready for his day. He was starting college today and he wasn't sure how he felt about it. He only hoped his friends were feeling ok with the decision they had made the previous day. He wasn't going to watch the monster report and see the new rangers take them down. He knew he'd feel lost. He was moving on with his life and he was leaving the rangers and everything else about that era behind.

Look how far he'd come.

If She Couldn't Sleep - Blessid Union of Souls

He hated it when they fought. He hated it even worse when he was right because there wasn't a thing he could do about it until he apologized. He was sleeping in the guest room and could only hope that he'd catch a few hours of sleep, but without his wonderful wife by his side, he knew it was futile.

He started pacing around the room, not sure what he needed to do. He could apologize, but that might elicit the response of why he was sorry and he couldn't come up with an answer that would pacify her. He could wait her out, but he knew he'd cave eventually because she could really hold a grudge just out of spite. When Tommy had angered her in high school, she completely ignored him, much to the distress of their parents and to Tommy himself. He apologized after two days of the silent treatment only to have her get even madder because he couldn't tell her why he was apologizing except to have her talking to him again. That time lasted a whole week before Jason sat him down and explained things to him. Yep, his wife was strong-willed.

Deciding to bite the bullet, he knocked on their bedroom door. She told him to come in and he found her curled up on the bed, hugging his pillow.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I should never have said what I did. It was wrong of me, but, babe, I can't help but NOT be protective of you. If that makes me old-fashioned then I am sorry," he said.

"I know you were right, but I hate thinking I can't do things for myself and that I have to ask your permission. It seems just wrong to me," she said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you suffer unduly. I just want to make sure you and I are together for a long time," he said. "But you CAN'T go with your brother on this mission."

"You're invited, too," she said.

"My back couldn't handle the fight even if I was morphed. I want us to put the ranger life behind us. I don't want to be caught up in that world again. We've made a great life for ourselves. Let Jason and Tommy do the job. You shouldn't," he said,

His reasoning made sense to her, she was just so upset about him saying she couldn't go. She was an adult and could go if she wanted to go. However, when she caught the puppy dog look from him, she couldn't lie to him and tell him she would stay when she was going to go. He cracked her walls, again and she couldn't go through with it.

"I promise I'll stay her with you. Tommy can always call if they need me, right," she said.

"That's my girl," he said.

Rocky kissed his wife, Meredith, and she let him sit down on the bed with her. She told her brother she wasn't going but to call if they needed her firepower. She turned back to Rocky and found herself locked in his passionate embrace. She soon forgot the mission and even her name. 'Right, I'm Meredith' she said to herself before resuming the kissing with Rocky.

Every Rose Has Its Thorn - Poison

They had fought. And it wasn't a little fight, either. It was a fight that had them calling each other names and bringing each other's tortured past.

Tommy stood outside his sister house, nursing a drink. He knew alcohol wasn't a good way to deal, but after what had gone down between him and Kimberly, he needed to dull the pain. He wished he could forget what had happened, but it was done.

"_I don't understand what the big deal is. It was a mission for red rangers," he had said._

"_If it was for reds only than why didn't Rocky go with you," she challenged._

"_Because both he and Meredith were worried about his back. I wasn't going to beg him to go if my sister was so dead set against it," he told her._

"_Oh, so the only person in your life that is worth keeping the peace with is Meri? She tells you Rocky shouldn't go and you agree? Tommy, I didn't know where you were, what you were doing. No one, but Meredith apparently, knew what was going on with you guys," Kimberly said._

"_If I had told you, what would you have done? Tried to talk me out of it," he said._

"_Yes, but I would've understood your reasons for going. Does me being your wife count for something," she asked._

"_I didn't want to fight with you," he said._

"_And yet, here we are. You, Thomas Oliver, are being a coward when it comes to telling me the truth," she said._

_Tommy's breathing stopped. He had been called many things and, except for Meredith, had never been called a coward. He'd been the fearless leader of the power rangers throughout his high school days and effectively led a team of red rangers to defeat Serpentara with his best friend, Jason Scott. He was as far from being a coward as one could get. _

"_I…am…not a…coward," he said through gritted teeth."What would you call yourself then," she said._

"_You were a coward for never telling me the truth behind writing that letter. You are a coward for not coming back when you realized it was a mistake. If I hadn't run into you at Jason's dojo, we wouldn't be where we are today. You avoided something I was desperate to confront for years. There is a coward in this relationship, but it's certainly not me," he said, his anger at her showing through in his voice._

_Kimberly stared at him. She had only heard that tone in his voice when he was the evil green ranger. He knew his eyes would flash green when he was on emotional overload, but she'd never expected this of him. Of course she agreed with him that she had been a coward when she wrote the letter, but she couldn't believe he would bring it up, especially now._

"_Well, if I'm a coward then I am sorry. I guess I'm not the woman you were hoping for when we got married. Maybe if I had been a bit more blonde and spoke with an accent, you would like that better," she said, not caring what she said any longer._

_That comment hurt Tommy. He'd always felt bad for the way he treated Katherine when they were dating, going so far as to call her Kimberly during sex. Katherine had realized then, their first and only time, that he would never be hers. Tommy and she were still friendly, but he knew he'd damaged the relationship._

"_That was a mistake. But since we're talking about that how about you showing up on Muranthias with Jason? You two were awfully chummy during that time. Want to elaborate for me? I guess when you said you loved me like a brother and you consider Jason your brother, must be a kick for you, huh," he said_

"_That's enough. Get OUT," she screamed, causing the pictures behind Tommy to crash to the floor._

"_Gladly," he said, heading out the door._

_Kimberly collapsed on the floor and began crying. It wasn't normal crying, either. This crying was the emotion of a woman who was losing her true love through no fault but her own. She shouldn't have gotten mad at him about the mission, but she was ready to hurt him for what he said. She cried on the floor and kept telling herself that in the morning things would be better._

Meredith approached her brother. "You have to go home. You can't leave her like that," she said to her brother.

"I know, but I was pretty mean. I just can't believe she'd feel that way. I thought she understood the whole ranger code," he said.

"Look, I know you two said horrible things to each other, but you can't just let it go. You have to go home and work it out," she said.

"You're right, as always," he said. "I'll call you," he said.

"You better," she told him.

He entered the quiet house, scared to find that she'd left him. He found her curled up in a ball on the couch in the family room, clutching the stuffed tiger he'd given her for Christmas years and years ago.

"Beautiful, I'm so sorry," he whispered to her.

She stirred and opened her eyes. She smiled at him. "I'm sorry, too. I can't believe we fought like that over something stupid," she said."It wasn't stupid. You have a right to feel upset by the mission and me not telling you. I promise to not keep things from you, especially the important things," he said.

She smiled at him as he helped her off the couch and carried her to the bedroom.

Now they get to make up.

Slow Motion - David Grey

It wasn't real. It was all a dream. Any minute Rocky was going to wake her and tell her that she was having a nightmare. That's exactly what this was, a nightmare, right? It was some kind of dream sequence created by Lord Zedd to undermine the power rangers. She was going to wake up and find her self sitting up in her bed with her husband by her side.

She blinked. She blinked, again. She was on a linoleum-tiled floor, hugging her brother's legs like some lost child. She was vaguely aware of Jason's hand on her shoulder.

She wasn't dreaming. This was her reality. Rocky was dead. Nothing, not even being a power ranger, had saved him. He'd spent his teenage years fighting along side his friends to stop evil in all it's forms, only to be struck down by a drunk driver.

She was unaware of the passage of time. It meant nothing any longer. He husband, soul mate, team mate was gone forever. She would never again see his goofy smile when he was excited or feel his soft lips upon hers. She would never feel his strong arms around her when she was frightened. She would never hear him call her 'babe' again. She would have a cold, empty spot in her bed that no one would ever fill.

Jason picked her up and she clung to him like a lifeline. He carried her to Tommy's car and she was slightly aware of them driving back to Tommy's house. She wanted to go home, but figured she shouldn't. Tommy carried her inside his house and put her on the guest bed.

As he gazed at the still form of his sister, he was frightened. As her brother and former leader of the power rangers, he was capable of handling any situation. This one, however, was one they had neither prepared for, nor expected.

He watched his sister cry and wanted desperately to help her. He was going in to hold her, when a hand stopped him."Let her be. I'll talk to her later," Kimberly said.

"Are you sure," he asked her.

"Not really, but she does need some time alone to process. She'll let you in when she's ready. Just be that silent pillar of strength she's going to need and love her. She's going to need it all," Kimberly said.

Tommy nodded to his wife and left a crack in the door. When Meredith was ready, he was going to be there.

I'd Come For You - Nickelback

She had her reasons for writing the letter. He had a thousand reasons for not believing a word of it, but the most important one was the he promised he'd love her and always be there.

He didn't know why she'd done it, but he was going to find her and make her explain. He took this as a sign she wanted him to come to see for himself what she was doing.

She knew he'd come when he got the letter. Despite what she wrote, she didn't mean a word of it. She was hoping to get a reaction out of him and her would most certainly come running to her.

He promised he'd do anything to get to her; to have her. That's why he was here, right now.

She knew he'd always come. When she opened the door, she knew he'd be standing there.

She wasn't disappointed.

"What's the meaning of this, Kimberly," he said, hold the letter away from him like it was diseased or something.

"I was trying to get your attention. I take it worked," she said, grinning.

"Like a charm. I'm here, aren't I," he said.

Kimberly opened the door wider so he could come inside. The minute the door closed behind him, he had Kimberly in his arms and promised he wasn't going to leave her. He was always going to come for her.

***Hope everyone liked this. I am actually pleased with how most of these came out and I am my own worst critic.*** -mereditholiver


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